NASA says Artemis II heat shield held up on return

The story

NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, says the Artemis II heat shield held up on the way home from the Moon. The mission sent 4 astronauts around the Moon and brought them safely back to Earth.

On reentry, Orion reached 39 times the speed of sound. Outside heat exceeded 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Inside, the cabin stayed in the mid-70s Fahrenheit, while the outside exceeded 4,000 degrees.

Inside, the cabin stayed in the mid-70s Fahrenheit, while the outside exceeded 4,000 degrees. Engineers found only nine spots of char loss.

The Artemis I shield had 103 spots. NASA shortened the downrange, how far the ship flew during entry.

That cut char loss by a factor of ten. The shield is 186 blocks of Avcoat, a material that wears away to carry off heat.

The backshell has 1,300 ceramic tiles. Splashdown on April 10 was only 0.59 miles from the predicted site off San Diego.

The ship reentered within 192 feet of its targeted entry interface, the planned point where it met the air. United States Navy divers photographed the shield underwater shortly after splashdown.

NASA's Ames Research Center in California inspected the shield at Kennedy Space Center on April 30, after the April 10 splashdown. Marshall scans began in August.

Technicians attached the Artemis III heat shield in early July. The Orion crew and service modules were joined at the end of July.

Why it matters: char loss went from 103 spots on Artemis I to nine on Artemis II, after the shorter path. NASA published the performance analysis.

A second image article shows the shield after splashdown.